Just to say that after redoing my Late July 61 moves I could not be much bothered about rethinking how I was going to play it. So I've reverted to my original idea for the East. A sit tight and do nothing move. In point of fact other than trying to combat a possible Union move up the Peninsula I've decided to sit still everywhere.

Hello good people, long time without post. My sincerest apologies. We are moving forward if only slowly. We somehow got the issue sorted between us of the Union move not being processed. I think it was a wrong turn submitted. Anyhow back on track. On a personal note I had hoped that with giving up the AAR my illustrious opponent, for whom I have a great fondness and respect, would find it easier to submit orders. Unfortunately to date that does not seem to be the case. At best Banks appears to be coping with one move per week. I just hope that I can maintain my interest with such a slow speed. I'm not a turn a day merchant (impossible with doing a full AAR) but a couple of turns a week should not be beyond us. Anyhow enough of my whinging. Back to events.

[color="#FFFF00"]EASTERN THEATRE[/color]

Absolutely nothing of note to report in this theatre. With my decision (after our abortive move) to go completely onto the defensive it seems that the Union adopted the same strategy. McDowells forces disappeared into Alexandria whilst Pattersons troops which were to the west of Strasburg have retreated a couple of regions. Stone and his forces that I had ejected from Harpers Ferry remain where my boys had pushed them to.....I suppose recouping losses and recovering cohesion. I feel I have little option but to sit tight, what with winter just around the corner. Any chance I had of an advance into Maryland I reckon is gone for 61 at least. I'll content myself with digging in and seeing whether I can cut a few rails........just to be annoying. At least with my cavalry in the forefront I should get semi decent reports as to enemy strength in the area. Much now depends on whether the Union make any sort of advance towards Richmond in the current year. Banks has left it as late as myself. Most strange. I've always been conservative (particularly when playing the South) and husbanded my resources. Banks is usually far more aggressive ....its so unlike him.

Those Patterson boys are a tempting target. Particularly as he is now removed from play. As a consequence the Union troops have no command structure. Time for me to issue Beauregard with orders to attack them, assuming of course that they do not continue to fall back.

To be expected I see that Butler has taken control of the Union forces in the Peninsula. That's a three star and a two star at James City now. All I have opposing is Bonham. Over time I'm going to be on the wrong end of a big command penalty. Hopefully the Union will not attempt to move against me at Williamsburg before October when divisions come into play.

Although I am not showing the result my Norfolk batteries woke up this time around and did some damage (if minimal) to those Union shipping in the channel.

One irritating event relates to the pesky Virginian Reserve located at Richmond. It seems to be active but at the same time I have a 'locked indicator'. I am able to move the troops but they are causing me grief when attached to another force. I'm going to move them independently to Williamsburg and see whether that resolves the problem. If not I think I'll just send them back to Richmond for defence.

[color="#FFFF00"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI[/color]

No action to report in this area either. Just a steady build up by the both of us. I suspect, like myself, that the Union is playing a waiting game and not intending to force the issue viz a viz Kentucky. Polk is now commanding my force at Charleston.....hurrah for my lone 2 star. Mind you those Northern boys seem to be building up a rare head of steam under Milroy at Cairo. What with Grant arriving shortly methinks I'm going to have to invest in rapid building of troops in Tennessee as soon as possible.

[color="#FFFF00"]FAR WEST[/color]

In this neck of the woods it really is a case of 'anything you can do' I take a fort he takes a fort. The CSA takes two forts the Union takes two forts. Talk about ring around the rosies.

Although I cannot be totally sure it looks as if I might have been correct in calling that Sumners was hiding in Lawrence in late July for he has reappeared outside of the city. Lets hope he stays for a turn or two as I have no intention of moving farther north at stage of the year with Shelby. Indeed it will soon be time to send him scurrying to either Springfield or Fayetteville what with winter conditions shortly beginning to rear their ugly head.

What is really beginning to bug me (in the nicest possible way) is my inability to destroy forts after I've captured them. I'm trying so so hard without success to date. Its not as if I'm trying to achieve the feat with my Rangers. I created a couple of three regiment infantry brigades and have moved them into position but so far, each turn, they fail to set fire to the stockades. I must have issued them with defective flints .....is all I can think of. Trouble is I can't keep trying. I need those troops with Price. Ah well I'll give it another go this turn and see what happens.

The troops that I raised at Mesilla duly moved and captured Ft Stanton. I would have liked to have sent them to take Ft Craig but those three green dots that I'm showing within the rectangle indicate that there is a sizeable garrison in the fort. Much to large for me to take on. To attempt it would be to invite disaster. I'll just have to remain stationary and see whether I can destroy Ft Stanton.......I have to get lucky sometime.

That just leaves the odds and ends to inform you about. To begin with my decision to pay the full 2 dollar bounty did result in my recruiting an additional 375 conscripts. They should come in very useful. Its always a trade off between numbers and costs. Now me I prefer the numbers and will worry about how the heck I afforded them later.

In knowing at least something about how the game works I am fortunate in that I get the options in early August to both issue bonds and raise taxes. I intend to do both. After all I need the money in order to raise those units I'm so desperate for.

With only a couple of hundred thousand dollars in the kitty my spending options are limited. Playing with historical attrition it is vital to keep replacements in hand. Its crippling expenditure particularly for the South but so necessary. Having new units is all well and good but not at the expense of depleted units already in the field. Especially when some of those units are crack elite elements that would prove impossible to replace if lost. After paying for a few replacements all I can afford is a couple of batteries and a single regiment of militia. Things should look better next time when I get that 800,000 cash injection as a consequence of my treasury decisions.

enf91 wrote:Try right-clicking on the tab of that infantry unit. I think the stack's been locked, meaning you can't merge it with anything. It happens when you right-click the tab or hit (control?) L.

Thankee most kindly enf91. It was starting to bug me. Just goes to show you can never know it all or even the best part of it. I never use the locked stack feature......at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

News is reaching us of an historic victory at Manassas on the 16th August. Details are currently sketchy. As soon as further information is to hand this august journal will bring the loyal citizens of the South a full report. Rumours are abounding of stunning victory for our beloved forces at Bull Run. Jackson apparently the hero of the day. Stay tuned..........

At long last we have some real action. I was beginning to wonder whether Banks would make any serious move in the East in 61. Perhaps he was influenced by those Northern papers screaming for action. Anyhow attack he has although I must admit to being surprised that he chose Manassas as the battleground particularly as my Confederate boys have been entrenching for a month. I did gulp when I saw the size of the Northeastern Virginia Army that McDowell was leading. I think the saving graces for me were threefold. Firstly my level of entrenchment. Secondly the quality of my commanders and finally the serious command penalty that McDowell was operating under.

The result aside I then got to musing over how this battle might have developed. So here goes. Feel free to skip over my poor commentary at any time.

Dawn was breaking and the early morning mist starting to disperse on what looked to be another fine August day as Joseph E Johnston rose, scratched his backside, and peered squintingly from his command post at Henry towards Stone Bridge. He could hear the sound of early morning banter from his forward troop positions and drew comfort from the knowledge that immediately to his front were Jacksons elite Virginians and to their right Edmund Smith with his solid Tennessee boys. He looked westwards towards Bee's position and felt satisfied as to his deployment. Should the Union decide to come Johnston felt certain they would choose a direct assault on Henry Hill. He was not overly concerned regarding the possibility of a flanking move, particularly to the west. Indeed so confident was he in that respect that he had entrusted the defense of Matthew Hill to Whartons somewhat weak brigade. The thought did idly cross his mind that he should strengthen Matthew Hill but he immediately dismissed it out of hand. He had to keep some reserve. In any event those Union boys would not come. He'd watched and waited, as instructed, for weeks. Davis's orders to him had been crystal clear. Hold at all costs. The road to Richmond must be protected. Hold at all costs. So he watched and waited whilst his most able commander, Thomas Jonathan Jackson had fretted on an almost daily basis to be allowed to take the fight to the enemy. And the days past, and turned into weeks and still the enemy showed not the slightest sign of appearing. So Johnston and his command remained waiting and grew weary of the waiting until now he, Joseph E. Johnston was sure that the enemy would never appear.

The sun was rising higher. It was going to be a warm day, yes siree a very warm day. He flicked at his jacket sleeves with his hands, brushing away the accumulated dust of the previous day. He was just about to turn away when he heard it. Or did he. He shook his head. No it was nothing. Imaginings was all. But then again. He cocked his head and strained his ears. He heard it again. The distant sound of a drum or was it drums. Faint at first but growing louder by the minute. He looked around him and saw the expectant gazes of many eyes all fixed on Stone Bridge. A low murmuring that rose to a gentle rumble came from the lips of his own troops. The drumming sounds were stronger now. He could hear the music from the leading bands and was that singing? It was that old Irish folk melody that he was fond of. What the devil was it called. Oh yes "Rosin the old bow" although he doubted that the troops he could now see clearly advancing to cross the Bull Run were singing the original words.

Runners he ordered to fetch Jackson, Smith and Bee. As the ranks of the Union swelled before him all previous doubts were dispelled. The enemy was before him. Battle would be enjoined this day . The Union army had come to open the road to Richmond. To prise Joseph E Johnson and his Army of the Shenandoah from his perch at Manassas and send them scurrying back to Richmond. He knew his defensive positions had been well constructed and was confident in the capability of his commanders and troops. Yet, and yet, the enemy ranks kept swelling. Line after unbroken line of dark blue slowly winding their way towards him The first elements had already crossed the Bull Run and were fanning out to both the West and East. More to the west he noted uneasily. Perhaps he should strengthen the defence of Matthew Hill after all. Behind the leading enemy units he could see row upon row of cannon edging ever closer and in some instances beginning to deploy They must have at least 4 times my firepower he mumbled more to himself than any of his aides. Jackson was the first to arrive followed closely by Bee and Smith. The four of them huddled over the map on Johnstons table taking time out every now and then to examine the enemy positions and mark there progress. It soon became evident that the strength of the impending Union assault would be directed against Buck Hill. Jackson needed no prompting from Johnston when ordered to advance two hundred and fifty paces to secure the high ground. Smith's force was to hold themselves in reserve and await developments whilst Bee was ordered to swing his command onto Dogan Ridge to offer support to Wharton Brigade. Instructions were issued to Howard, Culpepper and Rockbridge batteries to form to the front and centre of Jackson so as to command the heights. The only fly in the ointment, if fly there be, was that large wood to the right of Jacksons position. It would provide perfect cover for a Union advance. Sensing the danger Jackson ordered two companies of his 5th Virginians to secure the area.

It was approximately 11 am when the Union finally began their assault. Troops to the centre under the command of General Runyon were the first to advance supported by elements of the 2nd and 3rd Mitchigan and the 12th New York. They drew courage from being unmolested mainly due to the small copse that obscured them from view from the summit of Bucks Hill. Whilst the terrain provided them with more than adequate cover the downside was that when they exited from the protection of the trees they emerged disorganised. With deadly accuracy the Confederate artillery opened up a withering fire on the lead elements. Howards battery particularly achieved some devastating results. The Union advance slowed and the troops began to bunch together for safety. Order seemed to disintegrate and small groups operating independently started to appear. Officers were to the fore, urging their commands forward they would have made tempting targets except they were too soon shrouded in smoke that billowed across the field of battle obscuring all from view. Just as the initial assault seemed to stall well short of its intended target musket fire began to emanate from the wood to Jacksons right. Slowly but surely, his two companies of Virginian marksmen to whom he had entrusted the task of holding the wood were being pushed back by Heintzelmans troops that had swung to enfilade his right flank. The enemy were pressing home their advantage and his Virginians were having to grudgingly give ground. All thoughts of co-ordinated command were gone and it was left to individual officers to exert control as best they could. Were it not for their elite status Jackson was sure his men would have broken long ago. Despite mounting losses they remained firm and resolute yet the situation was rapidly becoming desperate.

Timely then it was that just when it seemed inevitable that the Confederate centre must break that Edmund Smith at the head of his 3rd Tennessee hit the advancing Union troops in the flank. Within an instant the enemy advance crumbled. Panic began to course through their ranks. It all became too much for the 1st and 2nd Ohio. One man dropped his weapon, turned and fled. Soon another, then another and another until most of Heintzelmans command was in headlong flight. Those that did stand firm began a fighting withdrawal. It was 12.30

Johnston watching all of this unfold breathed a sigh of relief at the Union columns retreated from the field. He saw, to the far right a US command that had not moved. He offered thanks for its inactivity. Had it have been sent against Smiths depleted brigades who knows what might have happened. The right of the field now seemed secure. In the centre Jackson, with the aid of the massed Confederate batteries was more than holding his own but what the heck was happening on the left. Johnston despatched runners. Intelligence was all.

It happened the Union advance on the left had been delayed. Orders had gone astray and had to be reissued. So it was that the advance was not sounded until 1 p.m. Slowly New Jersey volunteers began to ascend the lower slopes of Matthew Hill. They immediately came under heavy fire from the 21st Virginians and sharpshooters of Whartons brigade. The musket fire was intense and deadly accurate. Even though their losses were mounting the Confederate infantry could only marvel at the courage of the enemy line as it struggled to make headway. Courage however was not enough as without warning the line broke. Broke and ran leaving the field strewn with dead and dying. Following behind were the massed ranks of Miles' command. Steadily they advanced. The troops of Whartons brigade were getting weary now. Weary and short of ammunition. The barricades they sheltered behind helped but steadily their losses were mounting. Johnston receiving word of the situation rushed Early's brigade forward and urged General Bee to advance onto Dogans Ridge. Seeing Confederate troops beginning to move forward caused the Union attack to stumble. Uncertainty swept through their ranks. Their advance crumbled and soon they were in full retreat.. With both wings falling back Runyons force, which still contested the centre against Jackson, waivered then turned tail and fled. The Union attack had degenerated into a rout. Johnston unleashed Jenifers cavalry on the retreating 8th US. Without seeming to pause they swept over the remnants.

As the smoke cleared the battlefield was ours. It was still only 3 pm. Jackson urged a pursuit but Johnston was mindful that many of the Union troops had not been engaged during the day whilst most of his best troops were in need of rest. It was enough that the battle had been won. Time to bury the dead and tend the wounded. There would soon be other days of that he was sure.

I was intending to post another commentary similar to that produced for part one. Sadly RL time constraints have intervened so its not possible. Below at least is how I envisaged the opposing forces to have lined up on the 18th. For some unknown reason the game produced battles at Manassas on days 1 and 3 but not day 2. Getting their second wind is how I've rationalised it.

As you can see, and somewhat understandably, the Union defeat was even more one sided than had occurred on the day 1 battle. Unfortunately I did not manage to destroy any additional Union units although in one or two instances I came close. On my confederate side Early's brigade bore the brunt of the slight losses I suffered. If you look carefully you will notice that by the time this second battle took place I had received reinforcements in the shape of one 6lb battery (Chesterfields Artillery) that had been moving to join the Shenandoah Army.

All in all a very satisfactory outcome for my CSA boys. I gained 2NM and both Johnston and Jackson were commended.

IMO what the battles demonstrate above all else is that the command penalty does really hurt whether you are attacking or defending. I was lucky in that I ensured that my Army carried no penalty whereas the Union side, given its strength, was under a -35% malaise. Even with the considerable disparity of numbers that my opponent enjoyed (almost 2 to 1) with that heavy a command penalty burden it was just too much for the North to bear. Next you can see the obvious value of entrenchments and bear in mind that even at this stage of the war my boys were not entrenched to the maximum allowed. Finally we come down to commander ratings and terrain. Johnston is 4 strategic and defence whereas McDowell is only 2 strategic and 2 offence. Once you start to add in the stats of the 1 star leaders it only gets worse with Jackson begin a 5 strategy 4 defence, Smith a 4 - 2 and Bee a 3 - 2 against every Union leader being only a 3 - 1.

Those stats coupled with the fact that the region is deemed to be wooded also meant that, even though the Union outnumbered the Confederate force almost 4 to 1 with artillery, frontage restrictions made much of it redundant and useless. In my experience one of the best tactics that the South particularly can employ is to pick its defensive positions carefully. Avoid open terrain at all costs. Its not always possible but where it is make the terrain work for you and against the enemy. Ah well that's enough pontification from me for one day.

Occasionally, just occasionally, the program with throw you a wobbly and produce a result where the Union comes out on top in such an encounter.......but it will not happen often. Thank goodness it did not occur in this instance. I dread to think what a state I'd be in if McDowell had carried the day and pushed Johnston to one side. My war with Banks would have almost been over before it had started.

The number of batteries that actually go hot depends on the frontage in a woods region with the bonus for McDowell's offensive level. In AACW, this would have factored out to 12 batteries active in any round. Exactly which batteries are active changes with each new round. If you click the circled "E" (battle result) in the top left corner of the battle report, you get the option to review each round of fighting individually.

Before I get to individual theatres a few general points. At last I've managed to torch a couple of forts in the extreme west. Its my first successes. As I said in response to Ace's post above I know full well it takes 16 days rather than a single turn to torch a fort but I've not been able to do it before now. Methinks my Southern boys have invented matches.

The Union as you can see went with a total blockade which set FI back 15. The upshot is that I cannot expect either Britain or France to join on my side in this game.......which is what I prefer.

The 1st Bull Run at Manassas was good for the Confederate cause on several fronts. In addition to the victory Johnston and Jackson both advanced in seniority and I had a nice lift in NM and that's not ignoring the captured weapons which gave my WS a slight boost.

The only OUCH factor of the turn were those two hits I took to Wise's Brigade. They were being transported by rail as well which makes it a double OUCH. Just goes to show that you have to keep those replacements up when you are playing with historical attrition.

Having dealt with the general time to get to the specifics.

[color="#FFFF00"]EASTERN THEATRE[/color]

What the heck was Beauregard doing? I send him against Pattersons boys (Patterson now having departed so his troops have no command structure) and damned if he does not decide to stick two fingers up at me and go inactive. He must have gone inactive for I'd set him to assault and all he and his command is doing is facing up to the Union troops without issuing a single shot. If I could demote him I would.......grrr. Well I must hope for better from him this time although I'm not counting my chickens. My thought process is going as follows. With the heavy Union defeat at Manassas my adversary must take some time out with McDowells force to replace losses and recover cohesion. There was no medical unit with those Blue Bellies so its going to take a turn or two. What makes it even worse for the North is that McDowell has not retreated thus there is a chance he will have to fight again. Bearing all this in mind I reckon I have a narrow window to really attack the soft underbelly of the Union. My aim therefore is to send Beauregard, with assault orders, heading towards Baltimore and Annapolis. I'm deliberately staying away from Washington. Firstly there is the Washington garrison and then Stone and his merry men can be seen entrenching.....that's a sizeable force. Too big for Beauregard to take on. My problems are .......'what if Beauregard remains inactive' and 'what if bad weather sets in early'. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of what I did to Banks in our first game (although in that game the MC rules were somewhat different so I was able to prevent him from retreating) Ah well its worth a try.

In the event that Beauregard does remain inactive I'm ordering an uncommanded brigade from Winchester to Fredericktown with assault orders. Additionally a forward screen of cavalry is being deployed for scouting purposes ahead of Beauregards line of march.

Whiting is being commanded to move to Winchester and now that Pattersons troops have retreated the CSA force that I had deployed to New Market has been instructed to march to Strasburg.

The Army of the Shenandoah has been ordered to remain in situ. I could elect to try to attack McDowells Northern Army of Virginia but IMHO that would be foolish. Although it looks attractive to achieve it I'd have to leave those lovely defensive entrenchments I've constructed......not a wise move. So no I'll sit tight and hope that Athena works in my favour and makes McDowell attack me again. If not he will retreat unmolested. I can live with that after all its another turn out of the way.

You will see that once again I'm trying to cut rail with my cavalry. No success again this time. It really is frustrating. I shall just keep my fingers and everything else crossed

In addition to the major battle there was one small cavalry skirmish. It resulted in a stalemate but as I outnumbered the enemy by 3 to 1 I was disappointed to see that I'd lost more troops in the action. Not surprising really as my stance was green/green. Irritating none the less. Far more bitter was that with the stance I'd adopted my boys retreated out of the region. Ah well it was me that ordered them to run away if threatened with action and all they did was obey my orders.

Onto the peninsula. Nothing of note has happened. I managed to get Smith into position at Williamsburg and he has a decent sized force under his command. My only regret is that he commands alone. I have no one spare to assist him. At last I've managed to assemble the right ingredients at Norfolk to begin constructing that fort that I reckon is going to be invaluable. The one item exercising my brain cells is what the heck has Banks done with Butler? What devious plan has he in store. Last time he was in command of the Union forces in the peninsula but now he has disappeared.....where to and with what aim? Whatever and where ever its certainly not going to be anything that I like. Seaborne invasion springs to mind.

[color="#FFFF00"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI[/color]

Oh....Oh.....Oh......Oh. Banks has really caught me hopping in this region. Just look at the size of that Union build up at Cairo. Geeze but I shall have to invest in reinforcements for this theatre. Now Freemont has been added into the mix that's a 3 star and a 2 star at Cairo. I strongly suspect that Banks will create an Army with Freemont. That will get rid of any CP problems he might have. With that force he can really put me between a rock and a hard place. All I can say is good move you wiley devil. I will react as best I can and strengthen Polk. I'm going to try to keep hold of the vital river crossing at least for this turn......longer if I can manage it. I need to buy time to recruit in the region so I have to attempt to hold Charleston and New Madrid for as long as possible. If I'm lucky I should swell Polks force to 10,000 plus by early September. Being able to create divisions cannot come soon enough.

Ive given up on Missouri but in Arkansas am digging in at Fayetteville and intend to hold that fair city and Springfield for as long as possible. I'm not totally sure but I suspect that I do not have too much to worry about for 61. The Union forces seem very dispersed and I think that by the time they join together the bad weather will be upon us. It always seems to come early in this neck of the woods. Anyway I'm banking on it. Beacause of the growing threat of bad weather its time for me to bring my outlying cavalry to safety. There is no way I want to lose them to attrition because they are out of supply.

Although I had a couple of successes with destroying forts this time there are still one or two locations that are eluding me. One is Fort Gibson. I'm giving it another crack this time around.

Missouri witnessed the only other minor action of the turn. Sumner attacked my static Ft Smith Militia garrison. Somehow my good fellas held firm. Not for long I suspect but I can imagine Banks being somewhat peeved that he failed to take it with the first assault. I know I would be were the rolls reversed.

[color="#FFFF00"]FAR WEST[/color]

As if to confirm my fears about the impending weather changes would you just look at the sea of mud that's appeared. Definitely time to run for safety where I can.

That just leaves the bits and pieces

On the NM front its 111 to CSA versus 90 to USA so that's pleasing. Mind you I hate the auto balancing of NM which was not present in AACW. I'll just have to hope I can make best use of the advantage whilst I have it.

As far as VP's are concerned what with the changes in v1.03 I'm not only holding my initial advantage but increasing it by 11 per turn. Unless Banks makes some quick inroads by the start of the 62 campaign season I should have a healthy lead.

Losses seem to be 2-1 in my favour .....thanks to Manassas. Can I maintain it that's the question.

Having enough recruits has enabled me to commence a substantial build program. At present I have sufficient money and conscripts....its WS I'm lacking. As it was Jacksons elite Virginians that bore the brunt of the losses on the CSA side at Manassas I've had to invest in additional elite infantry replacements.

Well good folks that's it for another turn. At this stage I have to say it may be the last turn. I have not have Bank's end of August orders so once again I'm posting my moves in advance of processing. In itself this is not a problem as Banks is an honourable player and I know he will not look at this AAR thread before we are done. No the real issue for me is the slowness of the turns. My move has been ready for the last 5 days.

As I've said before I did think that once he decided to stop producing his AAR that turn around would improve. Truth is it hasn't. Roughly a week per turn is too infrequent for me. If the game were to go anywhere near its full length then allowing for holidays, illness etc we could still be playing in 3 years time. That's far too long for me. I don't blame my opponent RL does have a habit of getting in the way of gaming. If I get orders from him later tonight I might give it another turn or two. If I don't then likelihood is I'll contact him and tell him to call it a day.

Sad to hear you are thinking of quiting. It's been an interesting AAR, even if it dragged on a bit. But, if you like to PBEM, and have lots of spare time, you can always join CW2 tournament which has recently started. There are still free places.

Well good people the deed is done. Our game is dead in the water. I've just informed Banks of my decision. The pace we were going at was simply sapping any enthusiasm I had for the game. Its not Bank's fault RL often gets in the way. Sadly it has in this instance. To those of you who have taken the time to read my humble offerings - many thanks its not gone unnoticed by myself. I simply regret that I couldn't do a better job to entertain you. To my illustrious opponent I send my very best wishes. Keep gaming Coop you have always been a worthy and honourable adversary.

Ace wrote: But, if you like to PBEM, and have lots of spare time, you can always join CW2 tournament which has recently started. There are still free places.

I could have been tempted Ace. Some spare time I have.....not too sure I have 'lots' of it. Mind you, from the way the tournament is being set up players will need 'lots' of spare time and for a long time to come.
Its the way the tournament has been set up that has put me off throwing my hat into the ring. The format calls for too many games over too long a period. I understand and commend the idea of players getting a goodly number of games. I just don't think that with 16 participants its actually feasible - just look at the drop out ratio even before the tournament has started. Once the knockout stages actually kick I read that the intention is to go over to the full campaign. As was discovered in the AACW tournaments that creates too long a timeline. I cannot see the tournament ending within a twelve month period at the earliest for whoever progresses to the final. That's too long a commitment IMHO. So I'll pass but watch with keen interest. Apologies for being so cynical and I wish all of the contestants well. Remember also always to keep your powder dry.

Soundoff, I've really enjoyed reading through your AAR. I've only played CW sparingly and recently have played 2 games of CW2, all against Athena. So I value your insights greatly. I have a sneaky suspicion that playing against a human player is a whole other ball game compared to the AI. Aside from that, you made me feel like I was part of the game.

soundoff wrote: I shall sell cotton again from my Texas port to raise a further 15,000 dollars. I'm also playing the first of my two draft cards. I'm playing it in Richmond now that Virginia has joined the Confederacy.

I did have one question about this RGD. Does the size of the city affect the conscripts netted via this card? I'm fuzzy on the details, but I'm under the impression that this card drops the loyalty in the affected region correct? I've been playing these cards in small rural cities with little/no industry that would be affected by lower loyalty, with as high loyalty as I can manage, and as far from the front as possible. Am I shortchanging myself a greater potential number of conscripts? Or is it a case of weighing a lower number of recruits vs maintaing higher production? Thanks!

Edit: Also thanks for taking the time on this AAR. It's sad to see it unfinished, but such is life. And despite the short(er) lifespan, this thread was still full of fun reading!